Feral
by Zillah 91
Summary: G- Force makes a startling discovery on Monster Island that sparks an intense debate and could change the way humanity sees the kaiju forever- or lead to the monsters' destructive rage being greater than ever before. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

This is going to be a very different Godzilla story. No city-smashing, no monster-vs-monster fights… you'll see. Hopefully, very much unlike most, or any, other Godzilla stories on the web.

Godzilla is © Toho

This story's original character is © Me.

* * *

GODZILLA:

FERAL

CHAPTER ONE

**_Monster Island, South Pacific Ocean, formerly Ogasawara Island_**

I must be more tired than I thought, Dr. Akiba Sasaki thought to himself as he tapped the monitor in front of him. And of course, he was. Of course he was. He was about to finish a sixteen-hour shift; how could he not be tired? Yes, that explained it. Of course it did. Yet it wasn't at all a satisfying explanation. At first, he wanted to dismiss the very idea.

But just in case… after all, what if there was something new on the island?

Of course, bizarre fauna would be nothing new to Monster Island, Akiba reminded himself as he rewound the tape. A grand total of fourteen giant monsters, or kaiju, had taken up residence on this island over the years. Some, such as the mammoth lobster Ebirah, the monstrous insects Kamacuras and Megaguirus, and Kumonga, a spider the size of Times Square, had been forcefully corralled by the specialised UN Armed Organisation, G-Force. If they couldn't destroy these creatures, at least they could keep them all in one place. Others, such as Rodan the massive pterosaur, Titanosaurus, an aquatic reptile, Gorosaurus, a skyscraper-sized dinosaur, Manda, an enormous serpent, the Godzilla-like Zilla, and the burrowing Baragon, had come to the island of their own accord. Then there were those such as the spiky Anguirus, the vicious Varan and, of course, the alpha male­-Godzilla. G-Force couldn't forcefully contain them if they tried. A more recent addition, a few years ago, had been Godzilla's adopted offspring. All of them were routinely monitored from this offshore facility, which outwardly was not dissimilar to an oil platform. The monsters had never attacked it, and similarly, G-Force troops rarely, if ever, set foot on the island. Sort of an uneasy truce.

Megaguirus, though, was the newest arrival, and she'd been a problem from day one. That insect couldn't go five minutes without getting into a fight either Rodan or Godzilla.

But what Akiba had just spied was definitely not one of the island's 'regular' inhabitants.

Once again, he scrutinised the computer image in front of him.

There.

He hit 'pause', focusing on the single, tiny space that was moving past the foot of a tree. Despite the motion and distance, the new camera- one of several installed over the past few weeks- captured the image in perfect detail, even if only a small part of it could be viewed.

Whatever it was, it was certainly nowhere near as massive as the rest of the menagerie that called the island home. It couldn't have been taller than about five feet, maybe six at the most. From what he could see- the shape was mostly obscured by vegetation- its body was the colour of tanned skin, but its head was a black mass, scraggly and deformed.

There were extremely few kaiju this small on record- a Meganula, a juvenile Destroyah- but none that fit such a description. For a moment, he considered the possibility that it could be a newborn, but he doubted that any infant kaiju would be quite this small.

"Saeko," he called to the other side of the observation room. "Take a look at this."

The younger, female kaijuologist turned to regard him. "What is it?"

"I have no idea," Akiba confessed.

"Hmm, I don't recall you saying that often," Saeko teased gently. "What is it? Did Kumonga get into another scrap?"

"I wish," Akiba pointed to the screen. "What do you make of this?"

Saeko narrowed her eyes. "What on earth is that?" She asked, sincerely perplexed.

"No idea. It can't be bigger than six foot at the outside."

"A spike?" Saeko offered weakly.

"A spike?" Akiba repeated sardonically.

"Anguirus burrows, doesn't he? So do Zilla and Baragon."

"Not the way it was moving," Akiba replied seriously. "Saeko, do you realise what this means? This is something completely new. Something unidentified."

"So what do we do about it?"

"What else can we do?" Akiba shrugged. "We report this to the Commander."

**_Monster Island Research Facility, Observation Deck_**

With a slight chuckle of satisfaction, Base Commander Tagaki set down his cup of coffee and watched Rodan making lazy circles around the island's volcano. A career military man, he had seen his fair share of action involving these creatures, but it would be incorrect to say that he harboured any ill will toward them. In fact, in 1972 he had led the counterattack against the Nebulan Invasion, and he had seen first-hand how Godzilla and Anguirus worked together to fend off the aliens' monsters.

There may have been those who wished the monsters dead, but for now, Tagaki was content in the knowledge that this collection wasn't causing any trouble.

As Rodan descended into the crater of the long-extinct volcano, Ebirah turned over underwater nearby, curiously examining the research centre before turning away to chase a school of tuna. Behind Tagaki, the door in from the observation deck swished open.

"Doctors," Tagaki greeting Akiba and Saeko. "Anything to report?"

"Well, sir…" Akiba started, "Permission to speak frankly, sir?"

"Granted," Tagaki nodded, somewhat perplexed.

"Sir… you're not going to believe this."

* * *

Thus it begins. The chapters of this story will probably be fairly short, and so will the story itself, probably. Hopefully, though, this will end up as one of my best. Also, this story will take place solely on Monster Island and the Research Facility. So what does everyone think of the characters we've met so far (they're intended to be fairly conventional), the roster of monsters present on the island and how they're portrayed, and… Quiz Time: Anyone who can correctly guess what it is on the island gets a name mention later on in the story; one guess per reader. The title is a hint. All I'm saying.

All Reviews Welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, 6 reviews already? Didn't expect a reception quite that nice, so thanks a lot, everybody! In other news, I'm sorry to say that nobody guessed correctly, even though I'd have thought it was kind of obvious. But then again, that's from the position of already knowing. Well anyway, here's your answer.

Godzilla is (C) Toho

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CHAPTER TWO:

**_Monster Island Research Facility, Monitoring Area_**

Commander Tagaki stood, arms folded, with his eyes intent on the screen.

"I don't see it," he shook his head.

"Let me zoom in," Akiba realised. "It's hard to spot; keep in mind, these cameras were built to observe much bigger animals. Watch…" he replayed the footage, and this time the tanned shape was seen to swiftly descend from a tree and race into the bushes, obscured almost all the way by vines and low-hanging branches.

"It's definitely not any kind of ordinary wildlife," Tagaki agreed. "Have you checked all records?"

"Yes, sir. This is definitely something new," Saeko confirmed. "Course of action, sir?"

"You're a scientist, Dr. Hayama," Tagaki replied curtly. "What do you recommend?"

"Me?" Saeko looked slightly flustered. She was still only a junior member of the research team. "Well… I suggest we investigate, sir. Try to get a closer look at this… whatever it is… and if possible, try to capture it."

Tagaki nodded. "Very good. I'll organise a search party; we disembark at 1700."

**_Monster Island Shoreline_**

Though a research facility by nature, the Monster Island facility was also heavily guarded. Missiles and even the occasional Maser Cannon adorned its massive sides, and it kept a relatively small supply of attack choppers, fighter craft and armed ships to defend itself. With that, of course, came the necessity for trained soldiers. Like all operatives of G-Force, they were hand-picked from some of the best regiments in the world. The necessity largely came from the inhabitants of this very island.

Ironic, really, as Saeko though to herself. For its… unique… wildlife, the island was a tropical paradise of thick jungle, colourful flowers, and golden beaches, unspoilt by the presence of man.

Akiba found himself with similar thoughts as he led the direction of the six armed soldiers behind him. Each one, garbed in a standard G-Force uniform, was armed with grenades and a machine gun, one even hauling a bazooka around. Through the jungle, no less; Akiba didn't envy the man. Still, it was wise enough if they didn't know what they were dealing with.

Tagaki stepped alongside Akiba, using his machete to slice through the vines and thick vegetation as and when it blocked their way, as the other men, particularly the two kaijuologists, swatted at the occasional bothersome fly. The island was still full of flora and fauna, such as snakes, insects and even a few lemurs, none of which the monsters preyed on, if only because such small creatures could never sustain them.

"This is the spot," Akiba confirmed, nodding upwards toward the camera that say on one of the branches of the thick tree above them.

"It could be on the other side of the island by now," Saeko reminded him.

Tagaki suddenly raised his hand, signifying the need for silence. A hush fell over the search part at once.

There. A twig snapped. Leaves rustled.

Tagaki pointed, two of the soldiers following him and slowly drawing their rifles just in case they were needed. Tagaki's machete parted the thick bush, revealing nothing but a patch of soil. But then, slowly, they turned their eyes up…

"Nobody move a muscle," Tagaki whispered.

The shape was huddled amongst the leaves and branches, but one dark, shining eye was peering out. One of the soldiers raised his gun, earning a vicious hiss from the shape.

"What is it?" One of the men asked.

"It…" Saeko found the words catching in her throat as she stepped forward. "It's… HUMAN!?"

It was true. The eye was that of a human being- a girl, in fact, no more than fifteen years of age, maybe sixteen at the outside. Stark naked, her skin was tanned a soft brown; she was thin without being skinny, though at the same time somewhat wiry. The 'scraggly head' that Akiba had spotted was a mass of dark, matted hair. She leaned forward just slightly, and her eyes held nothing of human civilisation or custom, but instead a strange curiosity and cunning intelligence of a different kind. Her left hand was gripped around a large, jagged grey stone.

"Mother of God…" a soldier breathed. "It is!" Silently, Akiba lifted a video recorder to eye level. Oh, he had to document this. "It can't be," he gasped. "A human? On this island?"

"Hello," Saeko called gently as she approached. The girl didn't respond.

"Try another language," Tagaki whispered.

Saeko gave it a try, in as many widely-spoken languages as she could name. "Konichi-wa? Bonjour?" She continued for a few moments, trying out greetings in Chinese, Thai, Arabic, German and a few others that Tagaki had never heard of. But judging from her lack of expression, the child didn't understand a single one.

"Well don't just stand there," Tagaki hissed, "Someone climb up there and get her down, for God's sake!"

One of the soldiers- to Akiba's knowledge, a British recruit named Wilkes- grabbed hold of a branch and started to pull himself up towards the girl.

This time, she did react.

The girl leapt down with a noise that was somewhere between a hiss and a snarl, driving her heel into the soldier's face. He lost his grip instantly, falling through the air into a bush. It was just lucky for him that its thorns weren't poisonous. The girl, meanwhile, effortlessly caught the branch and flipped herself over with the grace of a trained acrobat.

Another soldier- this one a Frenchman that the recruits knew as Jacques- levelled his rifle and pulled the trigger. Even as Akiba shouted "Stop, you idiot!" and pushed the end of the rifle down, sending the bullets shooting harmlessly into the ground, there came the strangest part yet: the girl parted her jaws, leaned back and gave what could only be described as a roar… and a rather threatening one at that.

With that, she leapt clear across the soldiers' path, grabbing a branch and swinging herself round with practiced ease.

"What the hell was that?" One of the soldiers blurted out in Chinese.

Then the foliage exploded behind them. The two nearest trees were forced aside as a massive, armoured carapace charged towards them; reptilian jaws edged with sharp, curved fangs snapped at the air at the front of an earthy-brown carapace covered in dirty-yellow spikes, four squat legs propelling the creature in a charge that would put a rhinoceros to shame.

"Anguirus!" One of the soldiers howled the creature's name as the monster continued to bear down on them.

"Retreat!" Tagaki bellowed, with all present obeying unquestioningly. They fled back through the path they had forged in the jungle, with Anguirus' trumpeting roar following them even as they poured out onto the beach and toward the boat they would take them back to the research facility.

But as soon as they were out of that small part of the jungle, Anguirus stopped, honking in satisfaction and pawing at the ground, looking aside into a neighbouring tree as, with the animal's own distrusting glare, the girl watched the retreating intruders.

* * *

I'll just ask: did ANYONE see that coming?

Now I can explain where this story came from: largely, me being fascinated by stories of children growing up feral after being raised by wolves and such (such cases are rare, but not unknown). Growing up, they essentially become part of the pack, and grow up to suit their environment. Of course, they never learn to speak or anything like that because there's no human influence to teach them. That's essentially what's happened with this girl (I kind of picture the island's monsters as being something of a great big pack). More explanation will come later. This concept may seem slightly ludicrous, but children being raised by animals is something that has been known to happen.

All Reviews Welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, this is going pretty nicely so far (fingers crossed). Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Godzilla is © Toho

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CHAPTER THREE:

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

Well I'll be, Commander Tagaki thought as he watched the old seaplane approach the research facility, skimming across the water. An old PBY-5A. They don't make them like that anymore.

As the plane came to a stop near the ramp that had been extended from the base, a tall, thin, balding man disembarked, dressed in a neat suit with a sued briefcase in one hand.

"General," he greeted Tagaki in English, with an American accent and an unpractised bow.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Doctor," Tagaki replied.

"Think nothing of it. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"I'll have someone take the rest of your baggage to your quarters," Tagaki explained as they both headed over to the two kaijuologists who had made the recent discovery. "This is Dr. Akiba Sasaki, senior kaijuologists, and Saeko Hayama, junior kaijuologist. Doctors, this is Professor Henry Birchwood, from the American Anthropological Association."

"It's a pleasure," the professor nodded. "I should inform you both now: this discovery of yours is utterly ground-breaking; unprecedented, even."

"Well, I've heard that there have been a few recorded cases like this," Saeko started as the group made its way inside.

"Perhaps, but none in these circumstances, and precious few who lived to this age. These cases are incredibly rare, and of course the information they can give as to the development of human psychology is enormous… and this case, of course, is of just as much importance to your field."

"I still don't understand what it is we're dealing with here," Akiba brought up, slightly embarrassed.

"A 'wild child'," Birchwood explained. "There hasn't been a case like this in over sixty years, certainly not one this extreme; a child raised by animals. The last one of its kind was of two girls who had been raised by wolves in India."

"Sounds like The Jungle Book," Akiba observed under his breath.

"What about in 2006?" Saeko offered. "Some kind of mutation took a young girl to its nest in Korea."

"Perhaps, but that human was merely prey to the animal. Nothing like this case."

"What I want to know is, how did she get here?" Tagaki brought up.

"Who can say?" Birchwood admitted. "I'd say she was shipwrecked, most likely. To have adapted to the environment like this, it would have to be at a very young age."

"And her mutation?"

"Mutation?" Birchwood repeated.

"The way she leapt from branch to branch."

"That was no mutation, Commander; in such cases as these, the people evolved simply mature to suit their environment. All that swimming and leaping, I'd imagine, is simply from a lifetime of practice."

"Sorry, I'm completely lost here," Akiba butted in. "You're saying the kaiju raised this girl?"

"Indeed."

Akiba looked away for a second. "Why would they do that?"

"Why indeed? Well, you're more of an expert on kaiju than I am, doctor. My field is human psychology."

"Well, Godzilla did adopt his son…" Akiba thought out loud. "In nature, a mature male will often chase off a younger one, but the way Godzilla raises Junior… it's baffled us for years."

"I see. And now we have an entirely new mystery. As for the child's condition," Birchwood went on, "Communication will be difficult at best; she will be unable to speak any known language, certainly. There will never be anyone to have taught her, and she's much too old now; language acquisition mainly happens in the first three years of life. As for how she got this way, I recommend a blood test to screen for any genetic disorders."

"With all due respect, Professor," Commander Tagaki pointed out, that may be easier said than done."

**_Monster Island, Jungle Interior, Lakeside_**

"Just as I theorised, then," Birchwood concluded from what Akiba and Saeko had told him. "She's grown up completely feral."

"Just think, though," Akiba rambled along with him, "This could completely rewrite everything we known about kaiju."

Accompanying them were a number of soldiers, each armed considerably lighter than before, just in case they ran into any trouble with snakes or the like. Again, Tagaki signalled for silence.

Ahead of them, just past the next line of foliage, was the lake… and there was the sound of splashing.

Two soldiers parted the row of bushes, and everyone immediately fell silent.

The girl was crouched by the lakeside, her hands plunged into the cold water. A second later, she pulled a flapping, silver fish out of the water and, with remarkable speed, gutted and skinned the animal with nothing but her bear hands, proceeding to devour every scrap of flesh on the fish within seconds. But that wasn't nearly as amazing as what was in front of her: the creature, toughly 20 metres tall, was an enormous theropod known to all kaijuologists as the son of Godzilla- Godzilla Junior. His orange eyes were opened wide, his head, which started the row of bony nubs that would one day form jagged spinal plates, was dipped towards the girl, and his tail was wagging back-and-forth like an excited puppy.

Smiling, the girl plucked another fish from the water. Standing up, she held the fish in her open palms. Junior leaned down and licked the morsel from her hands. With a content chirp, the juvenile kaiju leaned down, affectionately pressing his snout against the girl before moving away into the lake.

"Remarkable," Birchwood breathed. "It's as though she's part of some kind of pack…"

"Yes, we've witnessed that behaviour in the kaiju," Akiba explained, "A sort of pack mentality. It's as though they've accepted her into it."

"She's coming," Tagaki hissed. "Professor?"

Birchwood nodded, a syringe in one hand.

At Tagaki's command, the four soldiers moved to the sides along with the Commander and the three scientists.

The girl stepped through the bushes, and then suddenly paused. Her head, with its wide eyes, turned and sniffed at the air. She tensed, as if hesitating.

"Now," Tagaki mouthed silently.

A soldier suddenly moved out on either side of the girl, grabbing hold of her arms before she could react. She didn't scream, but instead appeared to give something on an angry screech. Rather than afraid, it was obvious that she was angry. This was a girl who had grown up with no concept of fear. Even as the other two soldiers approached, she lashed out and kicked one in the stomach with another shout.

"Quickly," Tagaki nearly-shouted to Birchwood.

The Professor pulled out the syringe, approaching the girl from the side and jabbing the point into her arm. She 'roared' again, gnashing her teeth at air as the thrashed in the grip of the soldiers, who evidently strained to hold onto her. She was obviously strong for her age. After a second, however, the syringe filled with red liquid. Birchwood stepped back, nodding to the soldiers, who released their grip.

The first thing the girl did was drive her elbow into the side of a British soldier and send him falling into the side of a tree.

"Move!" Tagaki shouted, "The boat! Now!"

"We're running from a child?" A soldier shouted.

"Not her," Tagaki answered. As if in response, an earth-shaking roar echoed over the jungle, like a thousand beasts at once, echoing very loudly. The roar shook them all to the bone, carrying with it impossible power and unthinkable fury. They all knew the sound well: the roar of mighty Godzilla himself. "We're running from _that_," Tagaki said sardonically. "Now move!"

This time, nobody argued.

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

"Nothing." Professor Birchwood shook his head in amazement. "She's completely healthy."

After getting back, the Professor, as well as every biology expert on the base, had gone over the blood sample time and again… and found nothing.

"What about the radiation from Godzilla?" Commander Tagaki brought up.

"Godzilla doesn't emit that much radiation," Akiba enlightened him. "At least, not much more than you'd receive standing next to a microwave. It's only direct exposure to his blood or other bodily fluids that can be harmful."

"I've checked," Saeko confirmed, "There are no cases like this one record. Shinoda's network never saw anything like this, neither did Dr. Yano's research."

"Humans have formed some attachments to kaiju," Akiba brought up. "But never anything like this. And we can't even communicate with this girl."

"The only psychic available to G-Force is Miki Saegusa," Saeko explained. "The one who drove Godzilla away from Okinawa once."

"Well then, get her down here," Birchwood suggested.

"No such luck," Akiba replied. "She's assisting with clean-up of the parasites left over from the recent incident in New York."

"So if we want to make any progress with Maya, we're on our own," Saeko concluded.

"Maya?" Tagaki asked, one eyebrow raised.

"We decided it would be best to give her a name," Saeko admitted. "'Maya' sounded as good as any."

"And thus, we come to the big question," Birchwood declared, "Where do we go from here?"

* * *

And here's another chance for all you G-fans out there to earn a mention in the story. A few questions, actually, let's see who can guess any.

-The name of Akiba Sasaki is a reference to a minor recurring character in which videogame series by Konami?

-Two non-Godzilla monster movies are referenced in this story. What are they?

-Name the two Godzilla films in which the mentioned Shinoda and Dr. Yano appear.

Fun fact: That thing about the girls raised by wolves is true, as is just about everything else Professor Birchwood says about these cases.

All Reviews Welcome; It's exciting to see what the writers here think of this concept.


	4. Chapter 4

Thus we come to Chapter the Fourth, in which our plot continues to take shape. Enjoy!

Godzilla is © Toho

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CHAPTER FOUR

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

"Well, Professor," Commander Tagaki pressed, "You're the expert on this subject: what do we do with her?"

"My recommendation," Birchwood answered contemplatively, "Would be to bring her to this facility as soon as possible."

"With all due respect, Professor," Saeko brought up, "Are you sure that's wise? We've seen the protective instinct Godzilla demonstrates toward Junior; there's no telling how violently they might react."

"Hmm…" Birchwood thought. "Commander, how soon can we arrange for transportation back to Japan?"

"As soon as your plane's refuelled and we get the all-clear from G-Force Command," Tagaki recited. "Should be about a day, two at the most."

"Hold on," Saeko interrupted again. "Commander, are we sure we're doing the right thing here? This island is Maya's natural environment, after all."

Akiba hesitated before answering her. "Saeko, can we really leave a human being- such a young human being- alone on Monster Island, of all places?"

"Is she a human being?" Saeko argued. "Physically, maybe, but mentally, she's an animal; just like them. We all saw it. She's pure instinct."

"We have a duty to help her," Tagaki snapped.

"Does she need our help?" Saeko insisted. "Does she want our help?"

"This girl is a human being with human rights," Birchwood replied harshly.

"And the fact that she's perfectly happy where she is counts for nothing? What right do we have to decide that?"

"Dr. Hayama," Tagaki snapped, "You are a junior kaijuologist at this facility. I suggest you remember your position and, more importantly, maintain a professional position on this matter. Now: What course of action do we take?"

"Scientific and ethical debates aside," Akiba spoke up after a moment, "This facility is one of great scientific importance. Can we really afford to risk it for, really, one girl?" He flinched at his own words. Clearly he wasn't pleased with himself for talking about the girl that way, but as Tagaki said, they needed to be professional.

"G-Force has the funds and ability to repair the facility if need be," Birchwood replied, "But not a scientific opportunity of this rarity and value."

"Then it's settled," Tagaki declared. "We'll begin drawing up plans for a way of distracting the monsters."

**_Monster Island Beach_**

Muttering something to herself, Saeko stepped out of the small boat and onto the soft sand of the beach. The moon hung overhead and cast the jungle leaves an eerie silver, and this far out into the pacific the stars were brilliant and uninterrupted. It almost seemed impossible that a place like Monster Island could be so beautiful.

The last thing she heard about the plan to remove Maya was that the operation was to be carried out at night, when most of the monsters would be asleep. All they'd need to do was work out where Maya most commonly 'nested'. That was what Saeko, as well as a small number of soldiers, was there to do. As the soldiers moved into the jungle, Saeko absently noted the washing sound added to that of the waves lapping on the shoreline; the accompanying, sleep hiss informed her that the boat's engine had evidently woken Manda.

The search went on for about an hour, marching through thick jungle, before they finally found what they were looking for. Near one of the tiny inland lakes of the island sat a bed of large, soft leaves nestled in a small crook of rocks.

"This looks like the place," Saeko said quietly to the soldiers, "But I suggest we leave now. This could be a problem."

"Why?" A soldier whispered back. The young man was Japanese, and a recent recruit to the facility.

"Because," Saeko hissed, "This is where Anguirus sleeps!"

Everyone turned at once, looking up in shocked silence at what they had though to be a cliff face, but was now revealed to be the side of a torso where rough, elephantine scales met with a bony, spiked carapace. The soldiers froze, and then immediately turned back into the jungle. As she turned to follow, however, something caught Saeko's eye; a blur of movement to the right. "I'll catch up," she said quietly to the nearest soldier.

"Doctor?"

"Go. That's an order." Saeko stepped to the side, toward the rocks where the motion had come from.

The shape jumped up, perched on top of the rocks. Saeko took an involuntary step backwards as the girl she had recently named Maya bared her teeth and gave a savage, territorial hiss. Clearly, outsiders were not welcome in the monsters' nests.

"Easy," Saeko whispered as soothingly as she could, her hands raised defensively in an effort to show that she was not a threat. "See? I won't hurt you. It's alright."

A soft rumbling escaped Maya's head as she tilted her head to one side. She bristled like a dog determining whether or not to pounce, until something clicked inside Saeko's head.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a thin, shining shape in gold wrapping paper. Tearing off the paper, she held the energy bar it had contained toward Maya, who sniffed at the item and then turned her wide, curious eyes up to Saeko.

"You want some?" Saeko found herself smiling. Demonstratively, she broke off a piece and ate it. "Mmm. Good. See?"

Without bothering to use her hands, Maya grabbed the bar in her mouth in a whirlwind of motion, devouring it in a single bite.

"There, you see?" Saeko smiled as Maya looked inquisitively back up at her. Reaching out, she ran the fingertips of one hand over the fabric of Saeko's jacket. It occurred to the scientist that the girl had probably never come across the concept of fabric. A strange cooing sound of affection came from Maya as she leaned forward, examining this new and strange creature.

"You're a curious little thing, aren't you, Maya?" Saeko said, finding herself oddly amused. "I wonder… can you say that?" Maya just tilted her head again in curiosity.

"Ok," Saeko decided, placing her hand on her chest. "I'm Saeko. Say… ko…" she demonstrated. Maya responded with a sound that was somewhere between a coo and a purr. Saeko demonstrated again, and this tome…

"Ay-o?" She tried, evidently dropping the consonants like a child trying to speak early in life.

"Good enough…" Saeko thought out loud, now pointing to Maya. "So… Maya? My… ah…" Maya's attempt to reproduce the sound was somewhere between an 'ah-ah' and a 'y'.

Next to them, Anguirus let out a low snore, the snout of the creature flexing as it rumbled in its sleep.

"I should definitely go," Saeko thought out loud, stepping back as Maya looked curiously after her, until she disappeared back into the jungle.

After a moment, Maya, like a dog about to retire for the night, paced in circles on all fours on the bed of leaves, then settled herself down, curled up, as Anguirus snoozed nearby.

* * *

OK, we didn't get many plot developments there, but hopefully it was still a fun chapter. More to come, please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, me again. Sorry for the delay, and enjoy the new chapter!

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

It was almost 1 a.m., but Commander Tagaki was still up, and in the middle of any officer's worst nightmare: planning an operation against kaiju. He knew from experience that attacking these creatures with brute force would be about as effective as shooting at an erupting volcano; it would either do absolutely nothing, or just make things worse.

Monster Island was divided into a number of sectors: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and so on, though most of these overlapped. It did make things easier to keep an eye on the kaiju and avoid them getting into fights. Those that seemed to get along, such as Godzilla and Anguirus, were kept together, while others, such as Kumonga, had to be isolated just to avoid them eating everything in sight. Fortunately, this at least meant that he had to deal with less of them- just Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, maybe Titanosaurus and Gorosaurus, and Godzilla Junior wasn't really a threat. So that really left the first three. Great. The most powerful creature on the planet (by _far_), and two more of the toughest brutes on the island.

"Force alone will never get the job done," he said with looking up at the face on the communication screen. "We can't exactly just walk in and gun these things down."

"It's your turf, Commander," the gruff voice replied. The man on the screen, one Captain Douglas Gordon, was tall and heavyset, dressed in a brown uniform with a thick moustache, and was most widely known as the Captain of G-Force's flagship, the _Gotengo_, which was currently undergoing repairs in Tokyo. A shame, Tagaki thought; we could really use that thing about now. "But it seems to me that what we need here is to be tactical; we just need to distract them, not kill them."

"A diversion could do the trick," Tagaki nodded thoughtfully. "The girl's 'home' is just outside the valley, so in theory… hmm…"

"Anguirus tends to head to the lakeside during the day," Akiba offered. "That's our best chance. With any luck, we may not need a diversion."

"Not a chance I'm willing to take," Tagaki replied simply. "We've seen how protective they are of her. Now, an aerial attack would probably be best, but that still gives us Rodan to deal with; he's at least as fast and as agile as anything we've got. Still, if we carry out the plan while he's away from his perch…"

"What about the missile launchers installed in the base?" Gordon suggested. "Distract them with those?"

"They'd follow the attack back here," Akiba shook his head. "We'll just have to time this one well and hope luck's on our side."

"The drone-jets haven't been deployed before," Tagaki thought out loud. Those were a recent addition to G-Force's equipment; aircraft armed with wing-mounted Maser Cannons, operated via remote control. Useful and, unlike the soldiers under Tagaki's command, expendable. "They're unmanned, which is good; sending the soldiers into battle against those things on their own turf would be a suicide mission. Well, gentlemen, I think that's the best chance we've got: time it well and attack from the air. We begin in two hours; Doctor Sasaki, you're to accompany Dr. Hayama and Professor Birchwood."

**_Monster Island Jungle Interior_**

Saeko still didn't like this one bit, even now as she and the other soldiers made their way through the jungle. The plan was to be carried out quickly: while the monsters distracted, sedate and capture Maya and take her back to the research facility. Most importantly, do it fast.

Peering through the foliage, Akiba nodded back to them. He'd spotted her, near the entrance to Anguirus' usual resting spot just as hoped. A Chinese G-Force soldier lifted his radio and sent a message that consisted of "Greyhound-1 to Trap-1, Operation Zookeeper is a-go."

"Roger, Greyhound-1. Dispatching Hawk-Major."

As the sound of jet engines began from behind them, Saeko stepped forward and pushed her way through the foliage.

On the other side, Maya dropped her meal of a large piece of tropical fruit to look up sharply. Upon seeking Saeko, her expression softened, aided by Saeko gently gesturing toward herself. Maya stepped forward hesitantly, sniffing at the air like a cautious wolf.

Then Godzilla's furious roar echoed over the jungle.

**_Monster Island Lakeside_**

A spray of surf was kicked up as Godzilla spun round, his tail swiping through the water. Twin beams of sapphire-blue energy sliced through the air by his side. Beside him, Anguirus, knee-deep in water, barked at the tiny metal intruders and swiped at the lakeside.

The Maser Cannons were developed by and for G-Force with funding from around the world and reverse-engineered alien technology. Able to discharge concentrated beams of electromagnetic energy, they were the force's first and foremost anti-monster weapons, and in fact, they did have an effect on Godzilla and Anguirus.

The effect was that the two kaiju were extremely irritated.

It became clear in a few moments that the modified, remote-controlled F-22 fighter jets would not fare well. In seconds, the first was smashed to pieces by Anguirus' thick tail, while Godzilla's swinging claw swatted another and sent in spiralling out of control until it crashed and burst into flames. Immediately, the monster turned, its tail crashing clean through another.

**_Jungle_**

"There we go," Saeko said as softly as she could manage with the tension boiling inside her and her chest pounding like a jackhammer. "Here we go…"

Behind Maya, a soldier cocked the tranquiliser gun.

Maya turned and, upon seeing the object threateningly pointed at her, gave a vicious snarl and leapt straight for her attacker. The unexpected attack sent the gun waving to the side, but the dart still hit home, embedding itself in her arm. Unfortunately, the effect was not quite instantaneous, and Maya had more than enough time to land what Akiba would later describe as 'a killer smack' to the struggling soldier's head that left him out cold with his face half-covered in blood from a broken nose.

"Restrain the specimen!" Birchwood shouted through the soldiers. "For God's sakes, someone get hold of her!"

As another soldier grabbed hold of Maya, she- having at some time grabbed hold of it- smashed a round, dust-coated rock into his forehead and sent him falling back.

Maya opened her mouth and roared, as much like a kaiju as one could ever hear from a human being. Then, she swayed, her eyes lidded, and with a low growl, she fell sideways and hit the ground.

**_Lakeside_**

Godzilla's dorsal fins crackled with energy even as another volley of Maser blasts sliced into the water between him and Anguirus. His eyes flashed red as the insurmountable thermonuclear power within him welled up, shooting up his throat as his fanged jaws parted. A thick, blue-white stream of searing flame erupted from his maw and struck its target with unerring accuracy. Godzilla's 'incendiary radioactive oral defence' as kaijuologists called it, or 'atomic flame breath' as everyone else called it, was hot and powerful enough to travel across a city and still strike with enough force to obliterate titanium. Needless to say, the steel body of the F-22 never stood a chance. Turning his head, Godzilla brought the blast away from the ball of flame that had been a jet, washing it over the remaining two with exactly the same result.

For a second afterward, the air smelled like burning copper. Above, Rodan turned in surprise as the blast sailed up into the clouds, stunned at the sudden display of power. Down below, Godzilla and Anguirus pulled back their heads and roared in triumph.

**_Shoreline_**

The small boat roared to life, cutting a wake through the water as it departed from the golden beach and toward the cold metal box of the offshore research facility, with the unconscious Maya held between two soldiers in the back.

* * *

Dun-Dun-Duuhhhhn! …Yeah, I'm sure you all saw that coming. Pretty pleased with that, myself, mainly because of the cameo from Capt. Gordon and how the scene with Godzilla's flambé-breath turned out. As you can probably see, aside from the scientists' dumb-ass plan, I like to portray G-Force as actually being quite competent (hey, they managed to get her off the island, didn't they?)

Anyway, All Reviews Welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Again, it's been a little longer since I last updated. Sorry. We're moving towards the story's big climax now, so strap yourselves in!

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

CHAPTER SIX:

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

The laboratory, contained in one of the lower levels of the research facility, had been prepared for this at the same time as the diversion on the island was being planned. Banks of computers and areas for observation were arranged around the empty room wherein the unconscious Maya was now starting to stir.

At the moment, however, Birchwood was more engrossed in a conversation with Commander Tagaki:

"What do you mean I don't have clearance to return to Tokyo?" Birchwood demanded.

"There's still a lot of debate within G-Force- and in your own profession- about this operation," Tagaki replied. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't let you return right now. The girl will remain in this laboratory until further notice."

"Commander," Akiba called. "She's waking up!"

In the enclosed room, Maya stirred and rose to a squatting position with a quiet grunt. Turning, she looked around her tiny, white environment. Thanks to the two-way mirrors, the scientists could see in without Maya seeing out. She paced the room, all the while looking around with wide eyes and sniffing at the air.

"She's confused," Birchwood realised in quiet awe. "Like an animal in a new environment. Oh, this is fascinating…"

"We should give her something to eat," Saeko, who until this point hadn't said a work, suggested coldly.

"I suggest that you take it in, Dr. Hayama," Birchwood stated. "The specimen appears to trust you."

"After I led her into a trap?" Saeko reminded him. "Not a chance."

"Will she even make a connection?" Akiba asked. "I mean, how can smart can she be? She's never learned a thing in her life."

"She's uneducated," Birchwood nodded, "But that doesn't necessarily amount to unintelligence. Nevertheless, she's probably even less likely to let anyone else approach."

"Someone have the mess hall prepare a steak or something, then," Tagaki instructed.

"We're probably better off using uncooked meat," Birchwood replied. "She's adjusted to such a diet. The effects of providing her with cooked food could cause her to become ill."

"What, so she doesn't get sick from it?" Akiba asked.

"As I said: she'll have grown up to become accustomed to raw meat," Birchwood explained. "Might as well try it."

**_5:00 pm_**

As it turned out, Birchwood had indeed been correct; upon being provided with a raw, dripping steak, Maya had proceeded to devour the entire thing. And, again as had been predicted, she had clearly been unwilling to take a bite out of a cooked steak.

But Saeko still had some very serious doubts. When Birchwood had tried to approach her, Maya had turned and snarled in a clear indication that she did not respond favourably to his presence. Commander Tagaki, still pacing around the laboratory, was clearly no more at ease about the situation, and every member of staff was on edge in case the kaiju should follow her to the base.

A few hours after Maya was brought in, Tagaki eventually had one of the psychics on base come in to take a look; a Korean telepath named Hyun-Seo. She even managed to approach as Saeko told Maya, as reassuringly as she could, that this stranger was not a threat. Ordinarily, it was considerably against procedure- and considered to be extremely rude- to read someone's mind without asking, but it wouldn't exactly be easy to gain Maya's consent.

Hyun-Seo had tried to read Maya's mind. And it soon turned out to be a mistake. The psychic had screamed, grabbed her head and fallen back. As Saeko later found out, this was common in attempts by telepaths to read the minds of animals, especially if they were particularly angry. Most psychics knew the story of Miki Saegusa's attempt to read Godzilla putting her into a coma. Fortunately, the effects were not permanent.

What this meant, however, was that Maya was a number of things: namely confused, afraid, and very, very angry.

But nothing was as heart-rending as this.

The sound cut through Saeko like a knife. None of the researchers on base could concentrate. Even Akiba, standing next to Saeko, flinched at the sound. But there was something painful of it; not causing pain, but expressing it. Almost like crying. And the thing was: Maya was crying. She was kneeling on the floor of the sealed room, leaning back, her head pulled back to look straight up, and she was howling like a wolf. Long, sad, echoing howls, accompanied by tears falling from her eyes.

"…What's she doing?" Akiba finally managed to ask. His own eyes were starting to take on a wet sheen.

Saeko took a second to answer. Her mouth was open slightly, and she was watching Maya's actions mournfully. "She's pining," she finally said. A tear fell from her eye, her voice a mix of abject sadness and outrage.

"Like a dog?"

"Like a child," Saeko replied distantly. "Like a child separated from its parents. She…" she swallowed a lump in her throat to keep herself from crying. "Akiba, she is a child. She's just a child, and those creatures on the island are her family."

She stepped forward, placing a hand on the side of the glass and wiping a way a tear.

"God…" she whispered almost-silently, "God, what have we done?" She rested her forehead on the glass and took a shaky breath. "You know what?" she said, her voice now changing from sorrow to sharp, stabbing bitterness, "Do you know why I joined G-Force?"

"Why?" Akiba asked as he stepped alongside her.

"Because I was smart, and I wanted to do some good," Saeko answered, with even greater bitterness. "I wanted to help people. Save lives. Make the world better. And then I come here, and two months later, we go and do this," she said disgustedly. "I wanted to do the right thing by coming her," she said quietly, now starting to cry, "But now… now I just want to go home."

"You think we shouldn't be helping her?" A cold voice interrupted. Both of them turned to see Birchwood entering the laboratory.

"She never asked for our help!" Saeko snapped. "And how, exactly, is putting her in a cage and showing her off like a freak going to help her? All you've done is call her a 'specimen', take her from her family and lock her away. And now what does she have to look forward to? A life in a mental institution, if she's lucky. You don't care about what happens to that child at all!" she shouted.

"Dr. Hayama," Birchwood replied coldly, "My interest in this matter, unlike yours, is not one of sentimentalism. I am a scientist, and this is a discovery- in your own field- that rivals anything before it. Even Dr. Mafune's notes on Titanosaurus revealed nothing of its real nature. What I want out of this girl is knowledge. That's my ulterior motive, doctor, and I can promise you this," he said coldly, "Anyone and everyone who offers to study that girl, on or off the island, will do so with an ulterior motive. So think about that."

Saeko pulled back her hand, slapped Birchwood in the face, and stormed out.

**_Monster Island_**

Godzilla Junior turned round, sniffing at the air cautiously and looking up at his father. Anguirus' echoing call carried across the jungle. It held no anger, no rage, but instead the call of a father calling out to a child. Junior's own orange eyes were wide-open, filled with concern for what was at least close enough to be his littermate.

As Anguirus emerged from the jungle, he again turned his snout up into the air. It is fairly common knowledge that the wolf, tiger, or even the domestic dog, can track another creature by scent, especially if it has had time to remember the scent. Godzilla and Anguirus' senses were at least that sharp, and of every member of their adoptive pack, they had long-since burned the smell into their brains.

And they could track it.

**_Monster Island Research Facility, Command Centre_**

"Commander," a young kaijuologist raced up to Tagaki. "We've got something!"

Tagaki followed the youth to a radar screen that showed what was close to the base, specifically the nearest shore of the island. With a shrill 'blip' each time the circling signal detected them, some extremely large objects were moving toward the centre of the screen.

Tagaki blinked once, gulped, and looked up to the viewscreen.

With Rodan cowling in the clear sky above them, Godzilla and Anguirus splashed into the waves.

Tagaki stared wide-eyed at the screen. After a few long, agonisingly slow moments, he said: "Right… now we're in trouble."

* * *

They certainly are. Next Chapter comes the real violence as the inhabitants of Monster Island aim to get back one of their own. Stay tuned!

Oh, and another movie reference in this chapter. Any guesses which one it's to? (It's a Godzilla movie)

All Reviews Welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

Been a while, huh? I've been distracted lately, plus I was away for the past week. Anyway, here's the latest instalment of Maya's fate. Have fun!

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN:

**_Monster Island Research Facility_**

Professor Birchwood cursed under his breath. Still no luck convincing the authorities to allow him and the girl into Japanese waters. One would think that he had a ship full of plague rats. Still, there were always those people who just plain couldn't see the importance of scientific knowledge.

He glanced up as the door swung open. Saeko stepped in, not looking at him.

"Dr. Hayama," he greeted her indifferently. "I was wondering where you'd got to."

"Save it," Saeko replied bitterly. "I'm just here to check on Maya."

"It sounds to me," Birchwood noted with an air of superiority, "that you have quite a personal opinion on this specimen."

"She's not a specimen," Saeko snapped. "Get that through your damn skull."

Before the exchange could continue, the intercom suddenly buzzed. It was Tagaki, and from the sound of it something was very urgent indeed. "All kaijuologists on base to the Command Centre immediately. All defence forces to positions. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

**_Command Centre_**

The automatic doors swished open as Saeko arrived, roughly at the same time as Akiba.

"Any idea what this is about?" Akiba asked. Saeko shook her head.

"What this is about," Tagaki said as he paced urgently around the command centre, "is that." He nodded to the radar screen that now occupied the main screen of the centre. It showed two extremely large objects advancing quickly toward the middle of the screen, the third moving even more quickly in a tightening circle. "We've got three damn monsters bearing down on us."

"Which ones?" Akiba pressed.

"Godzilla, Rodan and Anguirus," Tagaki answered. "Just our luck."

"How far away are they?" Akiba asked.

"Two minutes," Tagaki replied darkly.

"How fast can we get backup here?"

"Three hours. We need options, people; you're the experts."

Nobody said anything. The silence hung in the air for several moments, the room almost seeming to darken. It was Saeko who finally spoke up.

"Rodan's main asset is its speed," she explained, "so we might be able to drive him off if we land a solid hit. It's night, so the searchlights might be able to deter Anguirus. But Godzilla…" she hesitated. "Nothing we have on this base can so much as make him flinch."

"Shit," Tagaki muttered, clenching and un-clenching his fist before slamming it on the console in front of him. He turned to the two kaijuologists. "Are they after what I think they're after?"

"It's… almost certain," Akiba answered nervously.

"They're a pack," Saeko reiterated. "What does any pack do when a pup is threatened?"

"They rip whatever's threatening it to bloody pieces," Tagaki said grimly. "Somehow, that doesn't fill me with confidence."

**_Monster Island Shoreline_**

Discounting the considerable defences built into the research base, Monster Island was not without means of keeping groups of kaiju isolated from one another; poison gas ejectors, force fields and Master turrets lined many parts of the shoreline.

Presently, those defences were strewn over the beach in twisted, burning piles. Anguirus at his side, Godzilla waded into the rolling waves, snarling at the metal box that contained one of his pack.

On the sides of the research base, the soldiers assigned to defence positions watched with mounting dread as the living mountains of scales and spines. One man, a Russian recruit, Boris Yelnov, stood anxiously at the helm of one of the defence guns. He didn't want to be there; none of them did. They said Godzilla was indestructible. Accounts of his awesome strength ranged from smashing Zilla's skull in Tokyo to hurling King Ghidorah into the stratosphere. It was doubtful that anything could kill him.

Godzilla approached. He swallowed his fear. He knew his duty. "Fire!"

The Maser guns buzzed with life and shot forth streams of shimmering blue energy that blasted and burned against the monsters.

They might as well have been shooting them with water pistols. Godzilla and Anguirus waded through the blasts, with Anguirus reaching the base. The quadruped beast's spiked tail lashed out, smashing through the reinforced steel like a knife through butter. "Abandon positions!" someone howled as the line of Maser cannons was sent flying off to the side.

**_Monster Island Research Facility, Laboratory_**

Akiba reached the laboratory first, throwing the doors open as Saeko ran in behind him. The place was a wreck; equipment knocked over, notes strewn over the floor…

And the containment room completely empty. No sign of either Maya or Birchwood.

"Ok…" Akiba gulped. "On many, many levels… this is bad."

**_Exterior_**

It took Godzilla and Anguirus to quite literally tear off every defence on the outside of the base. The only thing that made one of them so much as blink had, as Saeko predicted, been the floodlights directed at Anguirus; unfortunately, said floodlights were far from able to stand up to Godzilla's claws.

Rodan descended, howling furiously as his talons jabbed into the roof of the research base. With an enormous flap, the avian monster took to the air, and with the screech of tearing metal, the top of the research facility followed, strewn to one side as the building was ripped open like a boiled egg.

Amid the panic inside, a single young soldier picked up a bazooka and aimed between Godzilla's eyes. The blazing orange orbs narrowed, and the leviathan barred rows of gleaming teeth. It dawned on the soldier that it was probably a very, very good idea to put his weapon down.

**_Dock_**

"Birchwood!" Saeko shouted as she and Akiba ran into the dock. Below, the heavy metal doors were opening to allow access into the sea beyond. Below, Maya hissed and threw her weight against the side of a metal cage, while Birchwood settled himself behind the wheel. He looked up at the shout.

"Doctor," he called back, nonchalant. "Come to see us off?"

"Birchwood, listen to me!" Saeko shouted. "The monsters are here for Maya! If they don't find her, they'll rip this place apart!"

"And they'll not find her," Birchwood chuckled. "We'll be in Tokyo by the time they figure out she's gone."

"They'll follow you!" Akiba insisted. "They'll tear that city to the ground to get her back!"

"You seriously think they'll be able to follow a human scent that far?" Birchwood scoffed as he started the engine.

"There are people on this base!" Saeko yelled. "They'll be killed!"

"There are always sacrifices in the name of science," Birchwood replied coldly. "I expect you've heard the term 'occupational hazard'. And now, if you'll excuse me…"

The boat roared to life and began to move out into the sea.

**_Exterior_**

In the middle of ripping into the base, Godzilla, Anguirus and Rodan turned their heads. A tiny object was cutting a path across the water. A tiny object with Maya's scent.

Immediately, all three charged for the boat. Being by far the fastest, Rodan reached it first, picking the entire boat up in one claw. As it rose, it tipped upside down, Birchwood struggling and failing to hold onto the wheel. The cage containing Maya fell only a short distance before it landed on the charcoal-grey scales of Godzilla's hand.

Birchwood wasn't so lucky; he fell at least 200 feet, and at that height, the water was like striking cement.

Godzilla lowered his snout to his hand. There was the sound of metal tearing, and when Godzilla's head rose, he spat away the top half of the cage, and Maya crawled out onto his hand. Godzilla rumbled softly and lowered his hand to the water as Anguirus approached, gently rubbing his horned snout against the child.

* * *

I guess that's something of an abrupt ending, but I couldn't really think of anything to follow it but, well, the next chapter. Which, incidentally, is the last one.

One last pop quiz: the soldier, Boris Yelnov, is named after a character in a film directed by Guy Ritchie. Any guesses?

All Reviews Welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

And here we are: the conclusion of Feral. I've been really thrilled with how this story's turned out, and consequently I hope to post another off-beat Godzilla story fairly soon. Enjoy the conclusion!

Godzilla is © Toho

Maya is © Zillah 91

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT

**_The Remains of the Monster Island Research Facility_**

"Saeko? Saeko!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Saeko groaned as she sat up, blinking and coughing in a thick cloud of dust as she pushed herself up on the pile of rubble that had been the South wall of the dock. "Are you Ok?"

Akiba checked himself open. "Still breathing. Man, is that lucky."

Saeko looked around. The place was a wreck; almost the whole of the dock, including fuel pumps, equipment and most of the boasts, was either torn apart, in the water, or both. Above them, it looked like a gash had been torn right to the top of what remained of the building- and the other half was currently bobbing in the waves. The only reason alarms weren't blaring was because the generators were now several hundred feet away. Electrical cables dangled and fizzed.

"Doctors!" Tagaki's voice boomed. Two soldiers behind them forced the door inwards; it wasn't going to slide in its condition. "Please tell me those things are through!"

Akiba looked across to the shore- now that nothing obscured the view. Godzilla and Anguirus were ashore, and Godzilla was lowering what he suspected to be Maya onto the sand while Junior ran up, wagging his tail happily. Rodan was somewhere near the volcano. "Yeah," he nodded slowly. "Yeah, they got what they came for. You OK, sir?"

"No broken bones, slight loss of dignity," Tagaki replied dryly. "Where's Birchwood?"

"If they caught up with him," Saeko answered grimly, "I don't think we'll be seeing him again."

Tagaki nodded. He set his jaw and looked back towards the monsters. "This," he sighed heavily, "went badly."

"Yeah."

"No, not just bad; this was a disaster. Thanks to- to us- a multi-billion-dollar laboratory is totalled, and we've probably set the course of kaiju research back by years. Gordon's going to have my head for this, and…" he took a deep, shameful breath. "We brought this on ourselves. More than we ever did before. We knew how dangerous these creatures were and we did the dumbest damn thing possible."

"We're fired, aren't we?" Akiba asked reluctantly.

"God only knows. We lost the research facility; someone's going to have to fry for that."

"It looks like a lot of people did," Saeko said guiltily. "How bad is it?"

"We're going to try and get survivors out of the top half of the base as soon as we can. Once we have a working radio we'll call in an evacuation, but the equipment's total."

"What about the backup?"

"Also totalled."

Saeko looked away, glancing over at the shoreline. It would have been so easy, after seeing such rage and destruction, to blame the monsters, to condemn them. But there they were, Junior leaning down and sniffing playfully at Maya; they were a pack. A family that had defended another of their own.

Tagaki was right. It wasn't the monsters that started it. If anyone, they, the people who didn't think about the ethics or the consequences, they were the ones to blame, now and always.

**_Six Weeks Later_**

**_U.N.N. Virginia_**

Saeko put her pen down and finally filed away the last notes that would be made on what was now termed the "Feral Incident". There had been five hundred staff in the base. Three hundred and fifty had made it out.

The next six weeks had seemed like a blur. It turned out that G-Force had already sent a ship to investigate the loss of contact. For now, the U.N.N. Virginia was the temporary headquarters of activites on Monster Island. Once the world headquarters in Geneva had been filled in, a few decisions were made. The first was that the research facility, if possible, was to be repaired; if not, it would be replaced. Saeko and Akiba had, surprisingly enough, held onto their jobs, although they were both set to be transferred. Apparently, in a week she would be heading to New York as medical director for something called "Project Hawk". Akiba apparently had plans to resign his commission with G-Force and would be lecturing at a university in Kyoto. They'd promised to keep in touch.

As for Maya: G-Force was a little overzealous on occasion, but not stupid. They'd seen what had happened and it had been unanimously decided that trying to remove her again would be a very, very stupid thing to do. The cameras were still on the island, and others would be set up to monitor her, but she was not to be removed from her environment under any circumstances.

Just as well, Saeko thought. She wondered, if she ever returned to the Monster Island facility, if she would ever see the girl again. Maybe it would be for the best if she didn't.

People, she had decided, belong where they belong. When people think they know what's best for everyone, or that there was of existing is the only way, then things like this happened. Even if it was in the name of science… well, maybe they should just calm things down with those creatures first. Work on those communication theories. Science would still be there in another twenty or thirty years. People's lives might not.

**_Monster Island_**

Maya curled up, purring contently now that she was free, back in the cool jungle night with Anguirus curled up beside her. She nuzzled her head against her bed of leaves and drifted off, forever one with her pack.

END

* * *

And there we have it. Moral of the story: same as most Godzilla movies. Science and knowledge are good, but ethics, people, ethics. Anyway, I hope everyone's enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it; it was fun to do something a little off-beat. Who knows, there might be another such story in the near-future. That said: there will not be a sequel to Feral. Maya's story's been told now. But I'm really thrilled with how this story turned out and with the reception it got, so thanks everybody!

All Reviews Welcome!


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